Time For Some Changes
by DarkDreamer56
Summary: NS Hodges gets teased about his new lady friend, and the guys notice something different about Sara. Late response to a challenge


Title: Time For Some Changes  
Author: DarkDreamer56  
Archive: If you want it, ask please!  
Rating: T  
Pairing: N/S  
Disclaimer: Not mine, but I'd be willing to trade…  
Spoilers: through "Room Service," but nothing specific

A/N: This is in response to the challenge that Julie posted after "Room Service" aired. Just some random Snickers fluff, enjoy!

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"So Hodges, tell us about your lady friend." Greg smirked as he settled between Nick and Warrick at the break room table. "Catherine mentioned her last week." 

Nick chuckled, he had heard about Hodges so called girlfriend, and he had seen first hand the effect she was having on him.

"You might want to consider investing in some No Doze, or even some Dr. Pepper, before Grissom catches you sleeping on the job man," Nick added, taking a sip of the caramel macchiato that Warrick had pick up on his latest Starbucks run.

"She's doing fine, we're actually dating now, thank you very much. And except for Warrick, that seems to be better than any of you guys are doing," Hodges shot back, an annoying grin spreading across his face.

Nick rolled his eyes, but was irritated by the fact that Hodges was actually right. His love life hadn't been exactly spectacular the last few years, and the past four months had made it extremely difficult for Nick to even think about dating or long term relationships. It had been nearly impossible for him to think about getting serious about someone that didn't understand the circumstances of his abduction. That pretty much narrowed the dating field to a woman who used to be his supervisor, and a woman that seemed interested in a man that was his complete polar opposite. Not that he would mind if said woman were to turn her attention toward him, he had harbored some not quite so friendly feelings for the brunette spitfire pretty much since she had started in Vegas; that was probably another problem with his dating drought, no one ever seemed as good as the woman he could never have.

"Hodges, you ever think that an attitude like that is the reason why no one here really likes you," Warrick wondered, a bemused expression on his face. Then he turned first to Greg, and then Nick. "Though, he does have a point. It's a good thing we live in the desert, so you guys are already used to the dry spells." Warrick leaned back, smirking as he laced his fingers behind his head.

"Hey, I do just fine with the ladies," Greg protested. Nick started to voice his own complaint, but realized it was useless; Warrick was right, another thing that irritated Nick. Instead, Nick concealed his distress with the normal self deprecating smile that the team was used to, and nervously ran his hand along his jaw, feeling a few days worth of stubble collecting.

"Yeah, that's why you've been following Sara around like a lost puppy for three years now, huh Greggo?"

"So, why have you been so tired lately there Hodges?" Greg asked, trying to redirect the attention elsewhere.

"You're the so called ladies man Sanders, you tell me."

Greg grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, you want to know what I think? I think that by _dating_," Greg started, making quotation marks in the air, "you really mean _becoming her pseudo girlfriend_ and she's doing stuff like dragging you to art galleries, making you look at abstract pop art and keeping you up all night talking about how much her roommates are driving her crazy. I'm right, aren't I?"

Nick couldn't help but notice the deer-caught-in-headlights expression on Hodges face, and he began to laugh. "Dear lord, he is," Nick managed to choke out through fits of laughter.

Hodges stormed towards the exit, stopping at the door with an unreadable expression on his face. "You know, she told me that I'm the only one that understands her," he tossed out before storming back towards Trace.

The three men gathered at the break room table were laughing so hard that they didn't notice Sara stumbling blearily into the break room. Nick turned his head to wipe a few tears from his eyes, and came face to navel with her.

"Please tell me you have an extra one of those," she asked, gesturing to the Starbucks coffee cups on the table, "And what the hell is so funny?"

"Sorry, couldn't find you when I made the run, and just messing with Hodges," Warrick answered, draining his cup and throwing it into the trash with a clear hook shot.

"Leaving Greg alone at least…that's progress." Sara sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, gazing at the coffee cups on the table longingly.

"Hey, sitting right here!" Greg grumbled, throwing a crumpled up napkin at her.

Sara waved it off distractedly. "You didn't get me coffee…now we're even."

"You can have mine, on one condition," Nick offered, staring intently at Sara's midsection. Something seemed off, and then it dawned on him what it was. "Explain this." He reached up and poked her right about the navel, realizing too late that it was probably a risky move. Sara shifted her look downward, gazing at Nick quizzically while Greg and Warrick exchanged amused, and slightly scared looks.

"See Nick…it's an umbilicus, a navel," Greg explained cheekily. "You might know it as a belly button. They are formed when the umbilical cord heals…sometimes it's an innie, and sometimes it's an outie. Me, I'm partial to innies myself…"

"I know that," Nick interrupted tersely. "I mean, what is _this_." He poked her again. "Sara here seems to have become an outie."

Sara quirked an eyebrow at Nick. "Since when do you care, or even notice my belly button?"

"I'm a guy, I notice," he admitted with a lopsided grin, pleased to notice Sara's cheeks redden at the comment. "And Greg and Warrick would be lying if they say they haven't. Besides, I've seen you in a bathing suit."

Sara looked around carefully, and then held an index finger to her lips as she used her other hand to pull her shirt part way up, exposing her abdomen to the captive audience in front of her. She revealed a tiny piece of jewelry, a swirling yellow sun dangling from her navel.

"When did you get that?" Warrick queried.

"About three, four months ago," she replied, replacing her shirt and smoothing it down carefully.

Greg looked confused. "So how are we just noticing it now?"

"I just changed it. This one is a little more noticeable than the first one I had in, I guess. Now someone promised me coffee…"

Sara sunk into the chair on the other side of Nick, gratefully accepting the cup. She brought it up to her lips, inhaled deeply, and sighed before taking a sip. "Caramel macchiato," she murmured to herself in satisfaction. Nick couldn't help but think about how cute she looked at that particular moment.

"We did try to find you before Warrick went out," Nick explained, amused by how much Sara seemed to be enjoying that cup of coffee.

"It's okay…I've been holed up in the evidence room, trying to pull usable partials off of those little Post It tape flags…you think it'd be easy, but no…"

Warrick stood up from his chair and stretched. "Why are you doing that exactly?"

"They were found stuck all over the vic," she explained, downing most of the coffee with her next drink.

"So you're thinking that the killer placed them there?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, those flags, and a smeared drawing of some kind of bird in red ink on her forearm are all I have to go on right now."

"I could take a look at it if you want, maybe give you a hand?" Nick asked, hopeful that he'd get the chance to spend some time with her, even if it was only helping her out on a case. He, Warrick, and Greg had hit a dead end on their robbery, and he had planned on heading home, but if Sara needed help, he wouldn't mind staying.

"Thanks, but maybe tonight? I checked everything back into evidence, I've got plans after shift. Just needed some coffee to get me through," she explained, and Nick tried not to feel too disappointed. He hoped that by plans, she meant dentist appointment, and not hot date.

"Hot date?" he inquired, trying to act nonchalant. Warrick shot him a look before heading out the door, and Nick tried to concentrate on keeping the dejected look off of his face; Greg looked sad enough for the both of them.

"Nah, just plans," she replied quickly. "You wanna grab dinner before shift, and I can catch you up on the case?" Nick suddenly perked up, nodding as he grinned back at her. Sara smiled back and stretched a little before standing up and throwing away her cup. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Hey, Sara," Cath called, peeking her head around the doorframe, "I'll have to meet you there today, I've got to drop Lindsey off at school, alright?"

Sara's eyes shot up quickly as she nodded at Catherine's request. Nick and Greg exchanged confused looks.

"Why didn't you just say you were doing something with Catherine?" Greg asked, and then directed his next question towards the blond in the doorway. "So what exactly are you guys doing?"

"We're taking a class, well an aerobics class," Catherine explained, sighing as she continued, "but before I head over, I've got to drive Lindsey to school and explain all of the reasons why she is not getting an iguana for her birthday. Her friend's older brother has one, and now it's all she can talk about, but there is no way. So I'll meet you there?"

"An aerobics class? You could have just said that," Nick teased, amused by the blush painting itself across Sara's cheeks.

"I bet the class is full of hot girls…maybe we should join them Nick, what do you say?" Greg nudged Nick with his elbow, directing a cheesy grin at Sara.

"I really don't think would be comfortable in the class, sorry guys." Sara shrugged and headed towards the door.

Nick was happily focusing on the fact that he would be having dinner with Sara that night until Greg's voice rang out in his ears.

"Wait just a minute Sara."

Both Sara and Nick turned towards Greg, who still had the cheesy smile plastered on his face. "If I recall correctly, didn't Catherine work a case last week, where the vic was taking an aerobics class?"

Nick looked at Greg, confused. What did that have to do with anything? Sara appeared to be embarrassed, but he wasn't exactly sure why. What was wrong with picking up a hobby from work? He'd taken up a hobby after learning about it through a case; that was how he had discovered the rush of paragliding.

Sara recovered quickly, leaning against the doorway and crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine Greg…yes, it's a strip aerobics class," she admitted evenly before turning around and heading towards the locker room.

Nick felt the temperature in the room rise about ten degrees. First, the navel ring, and now strip aerobics? Nick thought that he knew Sara pretty well, but all of this information was new to him; it would take some time to digest. He shook his head, trying to clear it, before standing up and leaving Greg behind in the break room.

He found Sara standing in front of her locker, rummaging for something. He came to rest next to her, leaning against the bay of lockers and staring. She turned to face him, smirking as she mimicked his pose.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing." Nick grinned. "I'm just wondering, what with all this new information, where all these changes came from. Not that I don't appreciate them of course, I'm just curious." Nick was happy that he and Sara had always had a pretty good relationship, and that they had the flirtatious banter to fall back on.

Sara's smile widened. "Life's too short." She didn't have to explain any further, Nick understood. Suddenly he was wondering why exactly he was waiting to make a move. Nick had never really seen that look in Sara's eyes before, at least not directed towards him. She was inching closer to him, a nervous smile on her face, and he began to wonder exactly how hung up she could still be on Grissom while she was looking at him like that.

"Well, is there anything else you might want to try that you haven't?" His voice was husky, and Nick was completely aware that the next move could either make or break his future relationship with Sara, but seconds later, their lips met in a fiery kiss, and he lost all sense of anything but the feel of her body pressed against his as he hurriedly deepened their kiss. He pushed her back into the bay of lockers, hand sliding up the back of her shirt carefully. Nick lost track of time, but it was only when his body was starved for oxygen that he reluctantly pulled away.

"Do you want this?" Nick whispered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Nick wasn't sure if he was referring to making out against the lockers, or the feelings between them in general, but his mind was too clouded right now to try and sort it all out. He only hoped that Sara would understand his meaning.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I have…for awhile." Nick felt the grin spread across his face as Sara answered the question he hadn't even understood.

Sara leaned her head back against the lockers, smiling and trying to catch her breath. "This is a much more enjoyable workout than I had planned for this morning," she murmured.

"Glad to help," Nick returned, leaning in for another kiss.

"Oh, we're only just getting started," she mumbled against his lips before getting lost in another mind numbing kiss. He felt one of Sara's arms snake around his neck while the other ran its fingers up and down his jaw line and the accumulation of stubble.

"This has been driving me crazy all week," she admitted as they finally pulled apart, "It's incredibly sexy." Nick had never been so happy that he had been working so much that he had forgone shaving for the past several days. Her next question floored him. "What do you say we go somewhere a little less public?" The question was asked a little bit nervously, as she searched his eyes for an answer.

"You promise to show me what you learned in class last week?" Nick was pleased to see he could still elicit a blush from her, after what had just transpired between them.

"We'll see," she answered coyly.

He hoped he wasn't misinterpreting what she was offering. He was interested in a lot more than a one night stand with Sara, but he wanted to make sure that she knew that from the start. Her kiss had told him she was interested, but her eyes were darting nervously across his face.

He reached out tenderly to cup her cheek, before whispering softly, "We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

A smile broke out across Sara's face, and her eyes locked with his. "I'll meet you at my place in ten minutes," she whispered into his ear, letting her breath linger for a moment before she pushed past him with a sexy smile. She gathered her things and tried to walk casually towards the door, but Nick could see the urgency and the bounce in her step.

He shook his head one more time, making sure that he had not just imagined pinning Sara against the locker and engaging in one of the hottest kisses he had ever experienced. When he was satisfied that it was real, he threw his own locker open, tossing his gear on the bottom and rushing out to the parking lot. He couldn't wait to see the moves she had learned in class.

Nick was in such a rush, that he didn't even notice Greg standing a few feet from the door, mouth moving up and down like Grissom's Billy Bass.

FIN.

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A/N: I hope I fulfilled the challenge :)Does Catherine voluntarily spending time with Sara outside of work constitute being OOC (at least with the events of last season?) 

Claire: Your challenge is up next chica! Working on it as we speak, er, as I type…


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